Alexis Chavez has lived in New York, Hawaii, Japan and Africa.

She has an honorary Bachelors of Science degree in Environmental Conservation from The New School in New York City, has worked as a veterinary nurse at Tribeca Soho Animal Hospital, is a part time welder, and is proficient in American Sign Language and Japanese.

Oh, and she’s learning Afrikaans.

But those are just things she does on the side.

Her real passions are animals and photography.

Chavez is the founding director of the Modisa Wildlife Project.

“Modisa” means “guardian” or “shepherd,” and the goal of the project is to protect African wildlife in Tanzania, and to help the Tanzanian people benefit from environmental stewardship.

Chavez began traveling to Africa as a young woman, drawn there by the unspoiled natural surroundings and extraordinary wildlife.

Subsequent journeys to Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique and South Africa deepened her understanding and love for both the land and its wildlife.

She has since been able to combine this passion with her interest in photography and an ability to bond with the wild animals she photographs. The result is a series of wildlife images unlike any before them.

On Aug. 22, Chavez’s exhibition “On Safari,” will open at Pogacha of Issaquah, 120 NW Gilman Blvd.

Sales of Chavez’s photographs will support the Modisa Wildlife Project.

For more information on the Modisa Wildlife Project, and to contact Chavez, go to modisawildlifeproject.org